These are supported by expert tuition from lecturers, and input from businesses, who help shape our courses.

Students have access to industry-standard equipment, be it for creative arts, catering, music, sport, construction or motor vehicle studies. Reading College also has a dedicated radio station, Blast 1386, allowing students to experience running and working in a full-time live radio environment.

Onsite, you can dine in the student-run restaurant, The Kitchen, enjoy hair and beauty treatments at The Salon, work on your fitness in The Gym or purchase goods at The Shop, which is run by our students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

You’ll also find plenty of places to socialise and meet new friends, with a modern and well-equipped gym, and a variety of shops, cafes and chill out areas with comfy sofas.

We have been welcoming further education students since 1955, when the campus opened as Reading Technical College. We now provide education to students from the Thames Valley region and beyond, who are attracted by our facilities and location, close to The Oracle shopping centre, The Madejski Stadium and London.

Upcoming Events

03 December 2018

Facilities

Across the campus, you can study in dedicated learning spaces within well-equipped workshops and learning zones, equipped with some of the latest technologies, including Apple TVs, PCs, iPads and laptops.

You will also put theory into practice at our industry-standard training facilities, many of which are open to the public:

Discover how you could practice and develop your skills across:

Hospitality and catering -Catering students learn to cook in our industry standard kitchens, before serving food to paying customers in our restaurant The Kitchen.

Creative arts – Students can practise their skills in workshops dedicated to a fashion, jewellery, ceramics, wood, metal and printmaking. We also have a large photography studio and equipment store, as well as Mac suites for graphics

Music, media and TV – Learners can rehearse, record and perform in a range of specialist facilities including music and TV studios, and a working theatre run by Reading Rep, with whom we have a working partnership. The music department also work in partnership with CultureMix, providing business training, work experience and talent development.

Hair and beauty – Students practise in purpose-built salons before offering hair and beauty treatments to paying customers.

Motor vehicle - Students learn in our industry standard garage. There is a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, including the chance to get involved with banger racing projects.

Shop - The Shop is run by our LLD/D students (Learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities), allowing them to develop their customer service and employability skills through selling a range of goods to customers.

Sports - Sports students carry out some of their practical activities in The Gym, our on-site fitness facility.

In and around Reading

The town of Reading is one of the largest shopping and industry centres in the south east - home to the Oracle Shopping Centre, independent shops and restaurants, and some of the world's biggest companies.

It’s also home to Reading Football Club, who play in the English Football League Championship. The Madejski Stadium is also the current home of Rugby Union team London Irish, who play in the Aviva Premiership.

Transport

Reading is ideally placed - it’s near London, Heathrow airport and is well connected to towns across Berkshire and other major cities.

Train

Located minutes from the town centre, Reading’s train station has connections to every major city, local towns and a frequent service to London Paddington which only takes 25 minutes.

Bus

Reading has a large bus network with stops in the town centre and travels across the region. There is a regular bus service that runs along Kings Road and stops outside of the college. As a Reading College student, you will be able to get discounted travel on the bus.

Getting around by foot

The college is a 20-minute walk away from the town centre and the train station.

Cycling

There are a large number of bike racks if you plan to cycle to the campus. If you don’t feel confident about cycling on the road, there are 13 different cycle routes you can use. The routes link together through the town centre and form a network covering the main areas of the region.